Tag Archives: History

Vikings

Link: Vancouver’s Alexander Ludwig gets big Vikings plot line he’s been waiting for

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: Vancouver’s Alexander Ludwig gets big Vikings plot line he’s been waiting for
“It’s the best season we’ve ever done, I think. As an audience you’re going to be super invested in these characters and they’re so on the fringe of destruction internally and externally. As a fan myself, it’s just constantly a cliffhanger and it can be very troubling as well.” Continue reading.

From Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen:

Link: Alexander Ludwig teases huge decisions ahead for Bjorn on Vikings
“Björn is going to have to make a decision — a political decision — based on his incredibly strong emotions toward his uncle and the future of his people.” Continue reading.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Black Watch Snipers recalls Canada’s elite WWII soldiers on Remembrance Day

Band of Brothers changed my whole outlook on the Second World War. The excellent HBO series put faces to that conflict in a way no school assembly, as important as those are, could as a group of American troops slogged their way across Europe and into Germany.

Black Watch Snipers has done that again from a Canadian point of view. Airing Friday at 9 p.m. ET on History as part of the network’s Days of Remembrance programming, the yap films documentary follows the actions of this country’s most storied regiment: the Black Watch Battalion. Mixing interviews with the five remaining snipers, now all in their 90s, of that elite group—Dale Sharpe, Jim “Hook” Wilkinson, Russell “Sandy” Sanderson, Mike Brunner and Jimmy Bennett—with stunning recreations, Black Watch Snipers is the gripping recounting of their heroic and terrifying experiences over a 10-month period in 1944.

“We looked after each other. That’s how we survived,” Wilkinson says into the camera. If only it was really that easy.

Russell “Sandy” Sanderson
Russell “Sandy” Sanderson

“It’s a damn war and we didn’t start it,” Sanderson says. “And it had to be ended. So we did the job.”

Black Watch Snipers begins on Juno Beach on D-Day, with the Black Watch Battalion heading 20 miles inland to Verrieres Ridge where they encountered the full force of the Germans. Hundreds were killed. The scout platoon, formed soon after and led by Sharpe, consisted of young men with one mission: to be ahead of the main group and take out as many high-ranked German soldiers as they could. Their movement continued across the top of France and into Belgium, where the team took on the dangerous task of interacting with the Germans entrenched in Antwerp. Then it’s on to the Netherlands, where the battalion suffers more tragic losses, its liberation and a final showdown in Germany.

To a man, they all say at some point during the broadcast that they’ll never forget what they went through. We shouldn’t forget either, and Black Watch Snipers helps us remember.

Black Watch Snipers airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET on History.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Airport: Below Zero is set for takeoff on History

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From a media release:

Airport: Below Zero, a thrilling new documentary series from Our House Media, in association with Corus Entertainment, reveals the intricate and intense balancing act required to keep operations running smoothly at Edmonton International Airport, Canada’s most northerly major airport. Shot entirely at the ‘Gateway to the North’, this 10 x 60 series follows airport and airline staff as they work 24/7 to ensure a steady and safe stream of take offs and landings, while battling blizzards, medical emergencies, diverted planes, missing passengers, and even a snowy owl. Airport: Below Zero airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, beginning October 5 on HISTORY.

Edmonton International Airport is the fastest growing and most northerly major airport in all of Canada. Each and every day it faces challenges from extreme temperatures to medical emergencies, but one thing is constant – this airport NEVER closes. With total access to the airport and a compelling cast of characters, Airport: Below Zero witnesses Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees, the arrival of heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s jumbo jet, and the snowstorm of the year that would shut down any normal airport. In each episode, firefighters, paramedics, snow removal teams, ticket agents, and cargo handlers perform a complex balancing act where the perils of operating at 53 degrees north latitude constantly threaten to disrupt a never-ending stream of take offs and landings.

Airport: Below Zero is produced by Our House Media, in association with Corus Entertainment. Executive Producers are Simon Lloyd and Joe Houlihan; Series Producer is Marshall Jay Kaplan. Jane Lloyd is VP of Production and Samantha De France is VP of Business & Corporate Affairs.

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Vikings

History’s No. 1 series Vikings raids Wednesday nights beginning November 30

From a media release:

#Slay. HISTORY’s critically-acclaimed original series Vikings returns with all-new episodes to a new night and time, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning November 30. This fall, the riveting series welcomes Toronto Blue Jays’ third baseman and American League MVP Josh Donaldson, making his acting debut as Hoskuld, a Viking warrior. With more than 7.6 million Canadians* tuning in to the first half of Season 4 last spring, Vikings slayed the competition, earning top spot as the #1 Series across Specialty and remains HISTORY’s #1 Series of the year.**.

Earlier this season, a humiliated Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) disappeared after being defeated by his brother Rollo (Clive Standen) in a monumental battle in Paris. The series then took an enormous leap forward during the midseason finale, time-jumping to a new era in its characters’ lives. In the midseason premiere (Wednesday, November 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT), Ragnar’s reappearance in Kattegat triggers a chain of events no one – except the Seer – could have ever imagined. He unexpectedly arrives home to see what has become of his sons, and to handle unfinished business in Wessex with King Ecbert (Linus Roache). Meanwhile, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) plans a power play in Kattegat, and Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) prepares to fulfill his long-held dream to explore the Mediterranean in a sleek new boat built for him by Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård).

This fall, fans can also delve into the next installments of the in-depth Real Vikings documentary series. First, Vikings creator Michael Hirst, actor Clive Standen, and a host of experts sort through historic accounts, Icelandic sagas and archaeological discoveries to gain insight into the real lives of Ragnar Lothbrok and his famous sons, Bjorn Ironside and Ivar the Boneless in Real Vikings: Ragnar and His Sons. Then, from shield maidens and sorceresses, to queens and slaves, Vikings stars Katheryn Winnick and Alyssa Sutherland join leading experts to reveal the different roles women played amongst Norse society in Real Vikings: Viking Women.

Fans can catch up on past seasons of Vikings on HISTORY.ca, HISTORY on Demand, HISTORY Go app, shomi, and iTunes.

Hirst serves as executive producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Tudors), Sheila Hockin (The Tudors, Penny Dreadful), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors, The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn (The Tudors, The Borgias).

Vikings is an international Canadian/Irish co-production by Take 5 Productions and World 2000. HISTORY broadcasts both domestically in Canada and the U.S. MGM Television is the worldwide distributor outside of Ireland and Canada. Vikings is produced in association with Corus Entertainment.

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